dictator

noun

dic·ta·tor ˈdik-ˌtā-tər

dik-ˈtā-

Synonyms of dictator next

: a person granted absolute emergency power

especially, history : one appointed by the senate (see senate sense 1b) of ancient Rome

: one holding complete autocratic control : a person with unlimited governmental power

: one ruling in an absolute (see absolute sense 2) and often oppressive way

fascist dictators

: one who says or reads something for a person to transcribe or for a machine to record : one that dictates (see dictate entry 1 sense 1)

Example Sentences

The country was ruled by a military dictator. the dictator had a fierce stranglehold on the country, keeping its people in poverty and ignorance

Recent Examples on the Web After a popular uprising in Belarus in 2020, Putin came to the dictator’s aid when others spurned him. —

Claire Parker, Washington Post, 26 June 2023 Xi made his decision in the service of grander plans: The two dictators would make history. —

Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 26 June 2023 Alexander Lukashenko, often described as Europe's last dictator, is the disputed president of Belarus. —

Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 24 June 2023 Dir: Gregory La Cava Walter Huston is an uninterested president who pledges to solve the issues of the Great Depression after a near-fatal car accident and divine intervention inspire him to become a populist dictator. —

The New Republic, 22 June 2023 Headline of the day Biden calls Xi a 'dictator,' fueling Chinese anger The president's comments came a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Beijing in an effort to calm tensions. —

Chuck Todd, NBC News, 21 June 2023 Then in another move out of the dictator’s handbook, Thompson handed in her paperwork to run for reelection. —

Dave Lieber, Dallas News, 7 June 2023 In recent weeks, crowds have gathered frequently in the leafy street outside to accuse Mr. Barak — who retired 17 years ago — of being a dictator, a criminal and even an enemy of the state. —

Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 5 May 2023 Unlike Sudan’s former dictator, Hemedti has not faced charges from the International Criminal Court. —

Eliza MacKintosh, CNN, 26 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dictator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dictatour, borrowed from Latin dictātor, from dictāre "to say repeatedly, speak aloud words to be transcribed by another, issue as an order" + -tor, agent suffix — more at dictate entry 1

Note: Though formally a derivative of dictāre, the noun dictātor is attested perhaps two centuries earlier in Latin and may be an independent formation, though the model for it is not clear; the sense "issue as an order" of dictāre may reflect influence of dictātor. The form tictator used in the Old English translation of Orosius's Historiae Adversum Paganos had no subsequent use.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of dictator was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century